How to Preshrink Fabric?

When you see the word “preshrink”， you may feel quite unfamiliar. You probably only know what “shrink” is. Shrinkage is a very annoying thing. Many times， you spend a lot of money to buy a high-end wool coat， but it shrinks severely after just one wash and can no longer be worn.

In fact， people working in the clothing manufacturing industry will be familiar with the concept of “preshrink”. This procedure is needed to prevent clothes from shrinking severely after being bought by consumers. Since most people will never come into contact with this procedure， it is normal that you are unfamiliar with it. But generally speaking， a piece of clothing that has been preshrunk can hardly shrink further. Therefore， from this perspective， preshrunk clothing is more worth buying. Learning how preshrinkage and shrinkage work will also help you prevent clothing from shrinking more effectively and restore shrunk clothing as much as possible.

What Is Preshrinkage?

To define preshrinkage in one sentence， it would be a step to treat clothes before they leave the factory in order to prevent them from shrinking. Therefore， in order to better understand preshrinkage， we first need to learn which fabrics are prone to shrink and why these fabrics shrink.

Shrinkage is a very common phenomenon that occurs on many types of fabrics. However， the reasons why different fabrics shrink after washing vary. For example， cotton and linen have the property of shrinking themselves. During the washing process， they rub against water and the machine， causing shrinkage due to the special properties of the fibers. Other fabrics， especially natural fibers such as wool， will shrink in a hot wash environment.

The reason of preshrinking is to shrink the garments before they leave the factory and enter the sales link. In this way， the already shrunk fabric will not shrink further after being purchased by consumers. It is easy for people to form some misunderstandings about preshrinkage. For example， many people believe thar preshrinkage is the last step in clothing manufacturing， and as long as the preshrinkage step is completed， the clothing can be sold； there are also some people believe that after preshrinking， clothes will not never shrink again when consumers wash it.

However， the fact is that， there is a high probability that there will be a series of processing steps after pre-shrinking， because the size of the garment becomes more accurate after pre-shrinking， which is conducive to improving the accuracy of cutting and there will be less size deviation due to fabric shrinkage during sewing. In addition， due to the different tension of the warp and weft yarns during weaving， the degree of bending of the warp and weft yarns will be different. After washing and free drying， the bending shape of the warp and weft yarns is automatically restored to a balanced state， resulting in shrinkage formation. But the preshrinkage process can release the internal stress of the fiber， and the structure between the yarns is more stable and reasonable， making the clothes softer and more comfortable to wear.

It doesn’t mean that clothes will never shrink again after being preshrunk. In fact， even after preshrinking， the fabric may still shrink slightly when washed again. It can only be said that after the preshrinkage treatment， the shrinkage rate of the clothes will be lower， and even if they shrink， it will be a slight shrinkage rather than very serious.

How to Preshrink Fabrics for Sewing?

Nowadays， most ready-made clothes have been preshrunk before leaving the factory， so we don’t need to do it ourselves. However， if you suddenly want to make a piece of clothing yourself， you have to learn how to preshrink the clothes yourself.

First， you need to know the degree of shrinkage of the fabric. In addition to the fabrics mentioned above that are very susceptible to shrinkage， there may be other fabrics that you are not familiar with that also tend to shrinkage. So， you need to cut a small piece of the fabric， put it in the washing machine to try to wash it， and record the size of the fabric before and after washing respectively. If the size has changed a lot， it may mean that the fabric is very likely to shrink and a special tailoring approach is required.

The simplest way to preshrink the garment is to soak it in water. Just as water shrinks the garments， so does preshrinking. This method is best used for fabrics such as cotton and linen， and is a practical method if you want to sew your own garments and have no access to specialized production and shrinking equipment.

Dense fabrics such as wool are more suitable for steam preshrinking. High-temperature steam is used to make the fabric fibers fully absorb moisture and expand， and then the fibers are allowed to shrink naturally in a relaxed state. For example， the fabric can be placed in a steamer and kept under certain temperature and humidity conditions for a period of time to release the internal stress inside the fiber， thereby achieving preshrinkage.

If you have some special mechanical equipment， it will be more convenient. Some machines can be used to squeeze and stretch the fabrics， so that the structure between the warp and weft yarns will change to a certain extent， thereby achieving preshrinkage.

Finally， some chemicals can also preshrink fabrics. However， this method is not recommended for individuals to use for preshrinking. First， it is difficult for individuals to come into contact with these chemicals used for preshrinking. Second， if they are used improperly， chemicals may cause certain harm to the human body. Unless there is guidance from professionals to use chemicals to shrink fabrics in the most reasonable way， improve the shrinkage resistance of fabrics， and avoid other problems caused by chemical residues， just use the previous ways to preshrink the fabrics.

How to Prevent Shrinkage and Restore Clothes after They Shrink?

First of all， it is best to prevent clothing from shrinking through some methods. The preshrinkage we mentioned above is an effective step taken by clothing manufacturers to prevent shrinkage. After buying clothes， we also need to know some ways to avoid shrinkage.

After getting new clothes， many people are used to washing them before wearing. And it is during this washing process that many clothes shrink. This is largely due to the fact that you did not wash your clothes properly. Before washing， you need to fully understand the contents of the label on the clothing， which tells you how to properly wash the clothing. If you think it is too troublesome to study the most suitable washing method for each piece of clothing， then choose a washing water temperature of 30-40 degrees and use a delicate washing mode， which can avoid damage to most fabrics. By the way， you can of course also use a laundry bag， because it will reduce the friction of the washing machine on the fabric of the clothing， which is also helpful to reduce the possibility of shrinkage. Finally， if you are not in a hurry to wear this piece of clothing， dry it in the air， because tumble drying will also cause shrinkage. If you have enough time， you can wash it by hand. Hand washing can avoid shrinkage to a greater extent than machine washing. When washing， it is best to use a milder detergent.

What if we’ve done everything we can to prevent shrinkage， but the garment still shrinks after washing? Is there a way to restore it， or at least make it wearable again?

First you can try using hair conditioner， as it can be used to soften the fibers of the fabrics. You just need to add a proper amount of hair conditioner to a basin of warm water， then soak the shrunk clothes in the solution for half an hour. After that， take out the clothes， squeeze out the water， and gently stretch the clothes. Finally， wait for the clothes to dry.

For garments made of thicker fabrics， vinegar can be used instead of hair conditioner to soften the fibers before stretching the fabric. But if you don’t like using chemicals like hair conditioner and don’t like the smell of vinegar on your clothes， you can use a towel to try to restore it. The specific operation method is as follows: Soak the shrunken clothing in warm water for a while， then remove it and place it on a large towel and wrap it with the towel. Gently squeeze out the water， leave it for 10 minutes and finally stretch the fabric to its original size.

No matter what fabric your clothes are made of， shrinkage is an inevitable fact. But we should not leave it to chance. We need to have an understanding of this issue. Study the characteristics of different fabrics， read care labels carefully. Take measures such as preshrinking and rinsing in cold water before wearing. Gentle handling will reduce shrinkage. It will keep our favorite clothes， blankets and home fabrics in good condition. Remember， prevention is better than cure. We can preserve both their texture and appearance for quite a long period of time for careful treat.